Relive the Habs’ 1992-93 Stanley Cup season

The Canadiens were supposed to open the NHL regular season tonight at the Bell Centre against the Ottawa Senators.

But with no end to the lockout in sight, we’ll let Canadiens fans relive the 1992-93 season when the Habs won the last of their 24 Stanley Cups by posting game stories from that season.

The Canadiens opened the 1992-93 campaign on a winning note on Oct. 6, beating the Whalers 5-1 in Hartford. Here’s the story that appeared in the next day’s Gazette:

(Photo by John Mahoney/The Gazette)

Habs romp, Skrudland hurt; Knee injury takes edge off win in opener

RED FISHER
The Gazette

CANADIENS 5WHALERS 1

HARTFORD – Do things get any worse than this for Brian Skrudland?

The snake-bit centreman is returning to Montreal today for a close look at what management people are calling a sprained right knee. History dictates it could be worse when it’s considered that injuries have cost Skrudland more than a season (82 games) in his last three.

Skrudland was in and out of this season start, won 5-1 by the Canadiens in what really amounted to no time at all. First shift and thwack! he’s struck on the knee by a chap named Mark Janssens, all 6-foot-4, 220 pounds of him.

Skrudland appeared to be in a great deal of pain after the game. He left the dressing room on crutches.

“It was knee-to-knee with the other guy (Janssens),” Skrudland said. “I could feel pain as soon as we hit.”

Later in the period, Janssens had several Canadiens players climbing up his trunk when he slashed at Patrick Roy during a mini- scrum in the goaltender’s area.

Knee and facial injuries, along with an unsettling series of dizzy spells, held Skrudland to only 42 games last season. His output: three goals and three assists, which is what he may have had in mind going into the game, when he mentioned to a reporter:

“Are you ready for my best season ever?”

Reporter: “Guess so.”

Skrudland: “I know one thing: right now I’m tied with Wayne Gretzky in points.”

Reporter: “So?”

Skrudland: “I hope I’m ahead of him when he comes back!”

Skrudland will know more today about when he comes back.

His injury, needless to say, was the only low point on what surely was a gratifying night for Canadiens general manager Serge Savard. After all, he’d been looking for a start like this from a team he’s learned to like.

“I won’t say I’m too happy with the way we’ve played in our last few exhibitions, particularly against Quebec,” said Savard, “but I like my team. (Brian) Bellows didn’t have a good camp, but I don’t worry about guys like him. (Vincent) Damphousse … everything I hear about him is that he’s got character. I’m not worried about him, either.”

Bellows scored one of the goals – a darting, short shot 45 seconds into the second period, which followed Kirk Muller’s first-period goal. Denis Savard scored midway through the final period, while Murray Craven spoiled Patrick Roy’s bid for his 19th career shutout with fewer than five minutes remaining. J.J. Daigneault and Damphousse also scored.

The game wasn’t nearly that close. It should have been over as early as the first period when the Canadiens outshot the Whalers 15- 5. It could have been locked up in the second when five shots by Bellows produced a 16-7 margin in shots. It was over when Savard added the Canadiens’ third goal.

What kept the Whalers alive until the third?

Ah yes, Sean Burke, where have you been so long?

The one-time New Jersey Devils goaltender was exceptional from start to finish, with 38 stops. He had no chance on the first three goals, although he’d like another crack at Daigneault’s late goal. He stopped a flood of others after Muller had beaten him fewer than two minutes into the game.

“It was a nice way to start the season,” said Muller, who was the Canadiens’ best player. “I guess you could say I had a lot of net to shoot at.”

Muller guesses right, but Whalers goaltender Burke kept his guessing to a minimum. He was formidable on Savard during a power play and on Bellows during the Canadiens’ dominant first period.

“I didn’t have any trouble getting back into the game after missing all of last year,” said Burke. “I’m pleased with the way I played.”

No doubt, so are the Whalers, but what matters is that general manager Savard was properly delighted with his team’s first outing. He must have been even happier when referee Mike McGeough disallowed a Hartford goal by Andrew Cassels in the second minute of the third period, in the wake of what commonly is known as a quick whistle. The puck was loose on the other side of Roy, while McGeough was against the boards.

McGeough disallowed another late in the period when he ruled the puck was kicked by John Cullen beyond Roy. The reality is that Eric Desjardins may have contributed mostly to the kick.

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Also cut was hometown favorite Scott Gomez, who skated with the Aces during the preseason because his regular job with the Montreal Canadiens is on hold because of the National Hockey League lockout. But that was expected.

“He never had any intention of playing,” Aces coach Rob Murray said. “He didn’t get cut because he couldn’t make the team.”

Thanks for the support Gerald.
It’s fine to hate on Gomez, but it’s another thing to think he could not cut it on the ECHL. The Aces would also probably have had to insure Gomez’s contract and that would be very costly for such a small team, so it’s another nail in that coffin.

Thanks to Dave Stubbs, we all should have known Gomez would inevitably be cut from the Aces, as Gomez never intended to play there, considering this, well it’s really non-news to me.
But Gomez is still a draw for clicks and so his every chirp will be reported…

Ian, I understand the concept of not liking teams who buy championships, but the Yankees may be one of the best teams at recognizing young blue chip talent and keeping them.

Derek Jeter, Robinson Cano and Rivera (the injured closer) are just three examples of how the Yankees have built a core of players from day one and added pieces around them.

I hate the Yankees, but one cannot dismiss their ability to recognize great young players and develop them. Fortunately they have the income to afford adding players as required, Rogers has oodles of money available to do similar with Blue Jays but choose instead to pay Nick Kypreos and Doug MacLean rather than add much needed players to the Blue Jays roster.

Despise the Bronx Bombers too but amazed at how George Steinbrenner bought them for only 25 mill in 1973, and whereas the newbie and “Miracle” Mets had won in ’69 and ’73, the Yankees hadn’t won since ’64. Then a “Flood” (thank you Curtis) of free agency began after ’75, and the parade of players began including Reggie Chocolate Bar and Straw Jackson, Jim Catfish Hunter, Goose (don’t call me Rich) Gossage, Tommy Elbow Makeover John, and others including Alex the-Blonder-the-Better Rodriguez. Loved the antiquity on that team especially the Iron Horse (was that Lou Gehrig or Gary Cooper?).

Lou Gehrig was indeed the Iron Horse, he has a special spot with me. My father past away years ago of ALS and as soon as he was diagnosed I immediately read everything I could about Lou. Having never seen him play, I feel as though I watched his entire career.

Babe and Lou were polar opposites but what a formidable tandem, the best 1-2 punch in baseball history.

The best part of the clip? Seeing Gomez in a Ranger uniform. Those were the days. WHEN GOMEZ WUZ A RANGER!
Nice memory to relive but now you’re going to dredge up that old controversy, who’s better, Huet or Price? Some things are better left undug.

OK you guys have confused me … I know, not hard.
You’re having a mini-summit on the 26th (a friday).
And it’s to watch the Hamilton Bulldogs, but people are staying in Burlington?
How far apart are these two cities?
What happens if there’s celebrations after the game? You know, artificial stimulants, drinking, whatever…..
Who’s driving where?
My wife can’t come, like I said …. it’s a friday. Work and all.
I’d love to come, but I have to figure everything out!
And my brain is melting.
Any idea what everyone will be doing afterward?

Never let the facts get in the way of a great story?
It isn’t a fact that Scott Gomez was cut by the Alaska Aces?
If it isn’t a fact then my apologies, I’ll take the story down from my site. If it is a fact then you owe me an apology.
Telio
***Subbang baby!!!***
The greatest Canadiens and NHL news-site: http://teliopost.com/
Twitter: @teliopost

How does a player “get cut” from a team when he “never had intentions of playing”?

Again, as per the original article “Also cut was hometown favorite Scott Gomez…But this was expected”.

You’re attempting to sensationalize something that never existed. He was not trying out for the team and it was common knowledge weeks ago when the news came out that Gomez would be practicing, working out, etc, with that team but that he had no intention…and I’ll repeat it for you…no intention of playing with them.

Hey Telio, I think Mark and Punkster were alluding to the fact that you purposely elected for a misleading headline in the hopes of stirring up controversy and traffic to your site. Are they wrong, or did you not think that headline would boost page views more than, say, “Gomez leaves Alaska Aces.”

I like your site, and as a former journalist, I understand where you’re coming from and all, but just because something is true, doesn’t really make it honest.

Mike Boone: “With Gainey at my side, I’d walk into any dark alley in the world.”

I’m not going to let a lockout put an end to the 2012-13 season for me. The Canadiens are going to play 82 games, whether they know it or not.
Now some fans will prefer to relive the 1992-93 season, which HIO is graciously rerunning, but my preference is to fabricate a new season altogether, as played in a Fantasy Universe I’ve inhabited for a number of years, using today’s players, so that when Bettman says there will be no hockey played this winter, I’ll be able to look him in the eye and say: FU.
No more lockout diary, it’s FU 2012-13 from here on in.

What’s more shocking: season begins as scheduled or Habs win opener?

MONTREAL – Already ecstatic the National Hockey League and the players’ association signed a five-year deal 48 hours earlier, fans of the Montreal Canadiens left the Bell Centre this afternoon in a state of perfect bliss after their team defeated the Buffalo Sabres 4-2 with a pair of empty net goals.
“Incredible, there’s no other word to describe it, other than unbelievable or fantastic,” Hab captain Brian Gionta said after the game. “I think the team played terrific hockey, considering we only had one practice – last night at midnight – to get ready for today’s game. And you have to give the Sabres credit for putting up a tough fight, getting here just a half-hour before the game and then having to play most of the first period without equipment.”
It arrived five minutes before intermission.
Montreal made the most of its advantage, scoring twice on the power play, which could signal the team has finally solved its biggest problem from last season.
Tomas Kaberle scored both goals on end-to-end rushes, earning standing ovations from the fans and shocked looks from his teammates.
Buffalo tied it in the second with a pair of shorthanded goals, making it obvious the Canadiens will need to do something about their power play if they don’t want a repeat of last season’s fiasco.
The winning goal came on a play many will point to as proof the league acted in haste in deciding to skip training camp and the pre-season in order to begin the season as scheduled – with a matinee game no less.
Sabre netminder Ryan Miller created the opening for the Canadiens when, showing signs of extreme fatigue in the latter part of the period, he skated over to the Buffalo bench and asked Jhonas Enroth to take his place while he replaced his sodden undershirt. He also asked him why he puts an h after J and not after the o.
Unfortunately for Miller, in his dazed state, he chose to make his move while play was in his end, and Travis Moen notched the winner from the corner on a PK Subban slapshot that banked off his knee.
“I’ve been up most of the night, I haven’t eaten in hours, I got banged up pretty good in the first period playing without pads, this whole thing with the J and the h and the o has been bugging me … I, I, I … I don’t where my mind was, other than I thought it was a scrimmage,” a distraught Miller told reporters later.
Canadien officials said Moen is expected to miss four games with what they described as a “lower body complication.”
Kaberle completed the scoring and his hat-trick with an end-to-end-to-end rush – he forgot the puck the first time up the ice – that ended with an empty-net goal seconds before the end of the game.
Carey Price made 23 saves in the Montreal net, four more while outside his crease.
The Bell Centre exploded with cheers, whistles and thunderous applause when it was announced the game’s three stars were the fans in the building.
It’s been a hectic two days since NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and NHLPA executive director Don Fehr called a surprise news conference to announce the two sides had finally settled on a five-year deal.
The key sticking point was resolved when both the league and the union agreed to a 57 per cent share of gross revenue. Each side will receive its larger portion on alternate months, with the league’s higher cut beginning in January, the union’s in February.
Although 76 per cent of the players and all of their wives voted to ratify the agreement, a few grumbled the union got shafted when it agreed to receive the higher share in February, which has just 28 days (but it does have 29 in 2016).
“This could become an issue when we go back to the table in five years and two months,” said a player in the Canadiens’ dressing room with a hand towel draped over his head and most of his body so he couldn’t be identified.
Fehr and Bettman said more details about collective bargaining agreement will be made known in the days to come but one intriguing hint was given. Both men referred obliquely to a Doomsday Clause, made the sign of the cross, and then left.
Montreal plays next in Toronto Saturday

Following the Montreal Canadiens victory last night, a tragedy was lost to the crowd during their euphoric celebration. Doctor Mulder, the long-standing in-house physician of the Montreal Canadiens arrived at the Montreal General Hospital, short of breath and in need of immediate assistance while transporting what appeared to be a “mummy” over his shoulders.
Apparently, an unidentified player on the Montreal side stood in the hallway with what looked like a hand-towel draped over him, when in fact, it was a heat-activated glue-based toga, which immediately started to laminate itself to the unidentified player, due to the excess heat from the media gawkers who came to see the Gazettes’ new female reporter, Brenda Branswell, who was sporting a black eye from what was described as a “little altercation” with Jack Todd.
When asked what had happened, Doctor Mulder responded: “How should I know why Jack punched her. I wasn’t there!”
Although there was speculation as to who the unidentified player was, it was later revealed by the mummy himself, given his physicality and subtle accent, that the plastered player was in fact David Desharnais.
His was described as a full-body injury, “covering everything except his eye-balls”, this according to coach Michel Therrien.
The coach was in a celebratory mood and offered chicken wings and apple juice to the media types who stuck around after the players had vacated.
There was one exception. Jack Todd was not permitted any gratuities.

We are all set for the October 26th Hamilton Bulldog vs. Toronto Marlies Game. Here’s what you need to do.

You must call Greg Diamond at 905-546-8177 and mention HI/O Summit. Greg will let you know of the different price levels and take care of your order. Gold tickets are $20 for HIO members. He has assured us that we all will be sitting near each other. We may also have an opportunity to meet some of the Bulldog players.

At this time we have no other formal plans. Please stay. tuned for any further plans such as lunch, drinks etc… Thanks to Habinburlington for arranging this for us! Hope to see you all there!

On any other day I would suggest the Honest Lawyer… but on Friday Nights it turns itself into a dance club. I think we need a place where we can sit down, have a few beers and just talk and “shoot the crap”… so I would suggest Gown and Gavel.

I know we are only 1 game into this season but the Habs should try and work out a deal for Patrick Roy. That prima donna was lucky to win a cup in 1986.
They should trade him while his stock is high and try to get something in return. His career won’t amount to anything.
Andre Racicot can handle the workload this season, not like this team will go very far into the playoffs.
Anyhow this kid Frederic Chabot is in the minors and one day will be a superstar in this league and I predict he will break all kinds of league records.

Off the subject of hockey, I just bought all kinds of Nortel stock. In 20 years I will be retired in the Cayman Islands laughing at you losers!! Whooo-Hoooo!!!

I believe Habs Stanley Cup winning team in 1992-93 was the last SC team to be only made up of North American players although Oleg Petrov played in the regular season & had a game in the playoffs but did not qualify to be on the Stanley Cup winning team or his name on The Cup……

Habfan10912 – The next season when The Rangers won they had 4 Russians (Kovalev-Zubov-Nemchinov-Karpovtsev) & Esa Tikkanen their team and since then there has been a definite Europeon influence on Stanley Cup winning teams…….

At that point, there were already many marquee names. Some Europeans among top scorers included Selanne (rookie year on top of that!), Mogilny (who lead the league in goals with Selanne), Sundin, Bure, and Jagr (who is pretty much a point a game player in the playoffs).

“There’s genius everywhere, but until they turn pro, it’s like popcorn in the pan. Some pop… some don’t.”
– Jerry Maguire

Prior to Saku coming to the Habs there had been at least a dozen Euros that were drafted and played for the Habs. Most notable was Naslund. They certainly broke from the tradition of just NA players to keep up with other teams going after the talented Euros.

Hobie, I don’t dispute what Belfour has done, or his successes, but I’ve always considered him a playoff goaltender.
And after he was traded from Chicago, he didn’t seem to shine as much, not even with Dallas, where he won the cup.
And once he reached the Laffs, perhaps it was the players in front of him, but he never impressed me. But that’s just me….

Funny how fantasy over-rides reality when people remember Halak’s lone playoff run with the Habs. The reality is, his playoff stats (average, save percentage etc) in that run are actually weaker than what Price put up the following year against Boston. Halak was yanked in every round, gave up 10 goals in about a 20-40 minute stretch vs Washington, the Habs just had some timely scoring and overcame that. However cling to the cool story about Halak being as good as, or close to Roy.

“Back then there was no internet, cell phones and the Montreal Forum still housed the Habs. You could buy a standing room ticket at the Forum with a perfect view for like $15.00. ”

I remember reading the box scores and trying to get a feel for the game by comparing the times of goals and the time/type of penalties and maybe the little two line blurb above the box. Now it’s Every game in the league, in HD, plus 5 all-sports TV channels, and radio, blogs and comments (mostly negative). The game is fundamentally the same, but the access is so overwhelming that the mystique is gone.

As for the $15… I’m paying that for standing room at the OHL Icedogs game tonight. I wonder what an OHL standing room ticket cost in 92? $5?

And it’s $7 for a large beer. I wonder what it was for a beer in the 90s? Although I do like asking the beer girl who the Leafs are playing when she tells me how much my order is.

Not sure. He did offer to play the season under the existing CBA rules as long as they negotiated in good faith though.

So with 80% of the players salary paid… oops i mean season complete… he could say the owners weren’t negotiating in good faith and go on strike, thus resulting in the cancellation of the playoffs. I think Fehr wanted to trump Bettman’s impressive Lockout Hattick by claiming the championships in two sports.